The Blaze qualified for the Vitality Blast Final’s Day after an impressive performance in the field saw them take victory over Essex by 35 runs.
Kirstie Gordon was the pick of the bunch with the ball taking 4-23 which included three in one over as the captain rattled through Essex’ tail.
Despite not being at their best with the bat, The Blaze set a target of 140 which included some key runs from Heather Graham and Kathryn Bryce was enough to see the side through to the final four.
In the bright Essex sunshine, Gordon won the toss and opted to bat first. With no Marie Kelly due to an injury picked up in the morning, Georgia Elwiss was joined by Michaela Kirk to open.
Despite a first ball boundary from Kirk the pair went soon after as Blaze were 19/2 in the third over.
Kathryn Bryce was then joined by her sister Sarah in the middle as the pair settled the storm with the former making a quick fire 27 before departing just three balls after her sister in the eighth over.
Heather Graham then made her way to the crease and took no time waiting to get going, smashing back to back boundaries to see The Blaze reach 71/4 at the halfway stage.
She continued to apply the pressure back on the Essex attack, smashing the first maximum of the afternoon to move her side’s total closer to 100.
Graham eventually departed after a great take in the field from Cordelia Griffith off the bowling of Eva Gray. Ella Claridge scored a quick fire 16 to move The Blaze’s total past the ton mark before she was ran out after a mix-up in the middle.
Lucy Higham and Sarah Glenn stuck around well to form an important eighth-wicket partnership of 30, which included 14 off of the nineteenth over.
Gray came back into the bowling attack in the final over to take three wickets in four balls and remove Higham and Glenn to bowl Blaze out for 139, as she finished with figures of 4-18.
Cassidy McCarthy opened the bowling for The Blaze and found the breakthrough in her second over, removing Grace Scrivens who looped one up in the air for Sarah Bryce behind the stumps.
From her first 14 balls McCarthy bowled 11 dot balls as Essex struggled to attack the John Pye Player of the Month for June, setting the tone for the rest of the innings.
She then took the catch for Blaze’s second as Sarah Glenn removed Winfield-Hill to see the hosts end the powerplay 22/2.
Blaze’s fine bowling continued as runs stayed to a minimal for Essex as they could only score 48/2 at the halfway stage.
Maddie Penna and Jodi Grewcock stuck around for the hosts and formed 42 run partnership before captain Kirstie Gordon found the breakthrough as Penna managed to pick out McCarthy at deep long on perfectly.
After Kathryn Bryce removed Griffith, Gordon turned it up a notch. Running through Essex’ tail and taking three wickets in an over to leave Essex’s chances of victory extremely slim.
The captain came agonisingly close to getting her five-for after a really tough chance was put down. Despite not being able to take the final wicket, The Blaze saw out the final few overs to secure the victory and send them to Finals Day.